


Not An Either-Or

by comicc_bookk_jawnss



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:28:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28857348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/comicc_bookk_jawnss/pseuds/comicc_bookk_jawnss
Summary: After a scare, Dani finally opens up to Jamie about how Eddie died.
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Kudos: 87





	Not An Either-Or

“JAMIE!”

It had happened in slow motion, or so it seemed to Dani. Jamie checking the light; Jamie turning back to her and laughing as she resumed their conversation; Jamie stepping into the street; the car accelerating through the red light.

“Fuck!”

Jamie felt jittery as adrenaline coursed through her retroactively. She shook in Dani’s arms, still wrapped around her as they both stood on the sidewalk. Or _was_ she the one shaking?

She turned around as Dani’s arms fell away, and her breath caught once more.

She hadn’t seen Dani this scared, this out-of-body, since that night in the lake. Dani was quivering all over, shaking her head violently and mumbling to herself as tears streamed down her face.

“No, no, no, no… ”

Jamie cupped her face.

“Shh… it’s okay. I’m okay, Dani. I’m okay. You saved me.”

Dani’s eyes were wild, but Jamie could see a glint of recognition. The rest of her body was having a hard time getting the message, though.

Jamie looked around. It was dark, on the later side of dinnertime, but there were a handful of other people walking around in the small Vermont town they’d just settled in. And those people were starting to stare.

Jamie only cared about Dani, but she was quite sure this was not the first impression Dani had wanted to make.

“Hey, we’re goin’ home, okay? I’m gonna take you home.”

Dani whimpered. Taking that as an acknowledgment, Jamie leaned onto her tiptoes quickly to kiss Dani’s forehead. Then, she swept her up into her arms, triple checked the road and set off, with Dani sobbing into her shoulder.

*****

“I’m - I’m sorry. I know it’s not… fair to you to - ”

“Woah, hey, hey.”

Tears were still trickling down Jamie face as she processed what Dani had told her. Jamie had seen a lot in her life, but she couldn’t even imagine a scene like that, let alone if it were someone she…

Sitting on the futon in their studio apartment, she squeezed Dani’s hand, which she’d been holding the whole time, and cupped Dani’s cheek with her other hand, gently turning Dani back to her, as Dani sniffled and wiped her face.

“You’re allowed to still be upset about it. And you’re allowed to talk to me about it.”

As Dani went to object, Jamie pressed on.

“I _want ya_ to talk to me about it… About anythin’, always.”

Dani closed her mouth and nodded slowly after a moment. Jamie took a deep breath.

“And… you’re allowed to love him… S’not an either-or… not with me.”

For a moment, Dani just looked at her in awe. And then a smile slowly spread across her face, getting wider by the second as Jamie’s face flushed.

“Not that - not that I’m sayin’ that ya… ”

Jamie cleared her throat, took her hand off of Dani’s face and faced forward, looking down as she wiped her face. She did not, however, release Dani’s hand.

Dani softened even more. They’d known each half a year, more or less, but she’d already known for a while now… that she _did_. She would’ve said it before, but she knew it would be a stressful moment for Jamie, albeit a happy one, so she wanted to give it a bit more time. She had a time in mind, [a day](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28615212), in fact. And it would be soon, but it [wouldn’t be today](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28793709).

She quickly switched the hand Jamie was holding, so she could wrap her other arm around Jamie, pulling her closer. Then, she gently pressed Jamie’s head down onto her shoulder and sighed.

“Thank you, Jamie.”

She kissed the top of Jamie’s head as Jamie nestled against her collarbone and felt Jamie take her other hand and start rubbing it gently.

“I’ll be more careful from now, I promise.”

“Mmm.”

As Dani rested her head on top of hers, Jamie sensed her moment to begin stage two of comforting Dani.

“But you have to too, ya know?”

“Meaning?”

“Meanin’ ya can’t keep looking up one-way streets the wrong way.”

Dani gasped adorably.

“That was _one_ time!”

“Definitely more than once.”

“Well, it’s… confusing!”

“What’s confusin’ ’bout right vs. left?”

“It’s not… I just… We don’t use the metric system in America!”

As Jamie burst out laughing, she felt her upper body slipping. She twisted inward as she fell, so the back of her head landed in Dani’s lap. This wasn’t exactly how she’d intended things to go, but she was helpless now as she writhed around, barely able to breathe, fresh tears springing to her eyes.

Dani had felt her cheeks burn as she’d sputtered nonsensically, but now they were cooling just as quickly, replaced by aching muscles as she smiled wider and wider. She was pretty sure she’d never made Jamie laugh this hard. It was quite a sight to behold.

“That was… ” Jamie, still struggling to breathe, wiped her eyes. “That was actually… really good, Poppins.”

Dani beamed down proudly, laughing herself, then gently lifted Jamie’s head out of her lap and layed it down on the futon before lying down herself. Propping her head up to look at Jamie, she placed her other hand on Jamie’s stomach and leaned in for a quick kiss.

“I try.”


End file.
